nt had already been discharged by one of his guests! Well,
that took place years ago, long before a railway had been thought of in
the valley of the Corace; such heroic virtues ill consist with the life
of to-day. Nevertheless, Don Pasquale (Signor Cricelli's name when
greeted by his fellow-citizens) several times reminded me, without
knowing it, of what I had read. For instance, we entered a shop which
he thought might interest me; the salesman during our talk
unobtrusively made up a little parcel of goods, and asked, at length,
whether I would take this with me or have it sent to the hotel. That
point I easily decided, but by no persistence could I succeed in paying
for the things. Smiling behind his counter, the shopkeeper declined to
name a price; Don Pasquale declared that a payment under such
circumstances was a thing unknown in Catanzaro, and I saw that to say
anything more would be to run the risk of offending him. The same day
he invited me to dinner, and explained that we must needs dine at the
hotel where I was staying, this being the best place of entertainment
in the town. I found that my friend had a second reason for the choice;
he wished to ascertain whether I was comfortably lodged, and as a
result of his friendly offices, various little changes came about. Once
more I make my grateful acknowledgements to the excellent Don Pasquale.

Speaking of shops, I must describe in detail the wonderful pharmacy.
Signor Cricelli held it among the sights of Catanzaro; this chemist's
in the main street was one of the first places to which he guided me.
And, indeed, the interior came as a surprise. Imagine a spacious shop,
well proportioned, perfectly contrived, and throughout fitted with
woodwork copies from the best examples of old Italian carving. Seeking
pill or potion, one finds oneself in a museum of art, where it would be
easy to spend an hour in studying the counter, the shelves, the
ceiling. The chemists (two brothers, if I remember rightly) pointed out
to me with legitimate pride all that they had done for the beautifying
of their place of business; I shall not easily forget the glowing
countenance, the moved voice, which betrayed their feelings as they led
me hither and thither; for them and their enterprise I felt a hearty
respect. When we had surveyed everything within doors I was asked to
look at the _mostra_--the sign that hung over the entrance; a sort of
griffin in wrought iron, this, too, copied from